Ted Leonsis Biography, Net Worth, Wife, Daughter, Family & Other Facts

Ted Leonsis is an American director, writer, business mogul and versatile philanthropist. He was a politician after serving as mayor of Orchid, Florida in the early 90s. He is also the founder, majority owner, chairman and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. The company owns and operates a number of Washington-based professional sports teams, including the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.

Ted Leonsis is also president of film/website company SnagFilms, responsible for producing the 2007 documentary film Nanjing which won Outstanding Programming-Long-Form Story at the 2009 News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Leonsis is also a co-founder and partner of the Revolution Growth Fund, which invests several million dollars in start-up companies, mainly technology companies.

Ted Leonsis Biography

Theodore “Ted” John Leonsis was born on January 8, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York. Young Leonsis began his high school education at Brooklyn Technical High School in New York. His family later moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he completed his education at Highell High School, graduating in 1973.

Ted Leonsis had a college education at Georgetown University where he majored in American Studies. After graduating in 1977, he returned to his parents’ home in Lowell, where he got his first job as a corporate communications manager for Wang Laboratories, a computer company. He then served as a marketing manager for another technology company known as Harris Corporation.

In March 1981, Ted Leonsis, then aged 25, quit his job and moved to Florida where he created his very first corporate magazine, LIST magazine (Leonsis Index of Software and Technology). Alongside his partner Vincent Pica, Leonsis was able to raise $1 million in capital. In 1982 the first issue of the magazine was published and the success was great. Less than two years later, the company was sold to Thomson Reuters for $60 million. He then launched several other magazines which enjoyed the same success.

Ted Leonsis then started the marketing communications organization, Redgate Communications Corporation, in 1987. In 1994, America Online (AOL) bought the company and retained Leonsis’ senior executive position. He held various positions at AOL for 13 years, before becoming vice president and president of the company.

In the spring of 1999, Ted Leonsis acquired the Washington Capitals from the NHL team under Lincoln Holdings from the Leonsis company. He also bought minority shares in the NBA’s Washington Wizards as well as the Verizon Center (now Capital One Arena). In 2005, Leonsis acquired Washington Mystics from the WNBA. He eventually became full owner of the Washington Wizards and Capital One Arena in 2010. Also in 2010, Leonsis’ Lincoln Holdings acquired Washington Sports & Entertainment, with the two companies merging to form Monumental Sports & Entertainment. In addition to being the founder and majority owner, Ted Leonsis is also the president and CEO of the company.

In 2016, Monumental Sports & Entertainment acquired 2 team franchises in the AFL; Washington Valor and the Baltimore Brigade. Monumental also owns and manages several sports arenas (the Capital One Arena and the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Washington) as well as the media company Monumental Network.

As a filmmaker, Ted Leonsis produced the highly acclaimed documentary Nanjing (2007). In July 2008, he founded video/website company SnagFilms. Besides being a production company, SnagFilms is also the go-to website for non-fiction movie streaming. Ted Leonsis is also the author of several books, including Blue Magic: The People, Power, and Politics Behind the IBM PC (1988) and The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success at Work and in Life (2010 ).

Family: wife, daughter

Ted Leonsis was raised in a working family and his parents were Greek immigrants.

Ted Leonsis is currently married to Lynn Leonsis. The couple married in August 1987 and their union has remained unshakeable ever since. They have 2 children together, a son named Zachary, born in 1988 and a daughter, Elle, born in 1992.

His daughter Elle Leonsis followed in the father’s dirty footsteps in the world of cinema. She studied at Georgetown University, after which she earned an MFA in Directing from London Film. She was associate producer of the 2010 documentary Une chance de combat. She is currently an executive at SnagFilms.

Net value

Over the years, Ted Leonsis has distinguished himself as an astute businessman. His business interests cover many facets of the economy and he has been very successful in almost every field. Judging from his excellent business background, it can be concluded that Ted Leonsis is good at multiplying money. His net worth is currently estimated at $1 billion. In March 2018, Leonsis was included on Forbes magazine’s list of new billionaires who broke the 10-figure milestone the previous year.

Other Facts About Ted Leonsis

As a teenager, he worked as a lawnmower to earn some extra money.

Ted Leonsis eventually became the very first in his entire family to go to college. His college education was facilitated by a wealthy businessman, Jim Shannon, for whom Leonsis had worked as a lawn mower.

When Ted Leonsis was in high school, a school counselor analyzed his skills and concluded that young Leonsis would become a store manager. On the contrary, in 2005, his alma mater’s high school, Lowell High School, recognized Leonsis among the school’s distinguished alumni and was inducted into the Graduate Hall of Fame.

As a politician, Ted Leonsis served as mayor of Orchid, Florida from 1990 to 1994. He is currently vice-chairman of the Washington 2024 committee charged with making America’s bid to host the Summer Olympics in Washington a reality. 2024.